Hercules Wimbledon round-up: Slemeck is top club finisher at Lloyd Park event
Hercules Wimbledon had athletes at a number of county cross country championships last weekend – enjoying individual and team success at Lloyd Park in Croydon on Saturday.
Athletes can choose to represent their county of residency or birth, writes George Mallett.
Fred Slemeck led the Hercules men home in Croydon with a second successive podium in the competition, finishing third to back up his 2022 silver.
Ed Mallett, an athlete who is continuing to have a breakout cross-country season, came sixth. He finished more than a minute clear of seventh in another high-quality field and will hope to represent Surrey in the upcoming Inter-County Cross Country Championships on March 12.
Next home was George Mallett in 11th, improving on his 17th last year, and Finn Johnson, finishing just one place short of his 2019 best. With Henry Silverstein home in 17th, Hercules had five in the top 20.
Austin Hall’s 57th closed out the scoring. Hercules collected 106 points with Belgrave Harriers on 149.
Ellen Weir, making her debut in the senior women, was fifth. She is a former GB junior international, with her 2022 capped by team gold at the World Mountain Running Championships.
Hercules enjoyed success in the juniors, especially the U13 category.
Isabella Harrison won individual bronze, a huge improvement from her debut championships last year where she finished 32nd. Thomas Whorton earned bronze in the boys race, up from 14th this time last year.
Whorton was supported by Harry Allen (11th), Theo Creed (17th) and Oliver Mealor (32nd) as Hercules won silver.
Theo Webb (sixth) and Cameron Elliott (eighth) were separated by less than 20 seconds in the U17 race and will both hope for county selection,
U20 Eloise Davies was first home for Hercules in 10th with Millie Thorpe in 17th.
Abbie Grey and Grace Eminson were 20 seconds apart in the U17 race as they finished 13th and 16th respectively, with Charlotte Conway (19th) and Amelie Stark (21st) not far behind.
Noah Fernandez was 12th in the U15 boys race.
James Stockings was fifth at the Essex County Championships in Basildon. there were also ninth places at the South-West Cross Country Championships and Norfolk Championships for senior men Archie Walton and Sam Todd. Rhys Boorman was 12th in Bexhill, Sussex.
Charlie Eastaugh was a clear winner of the C 3,000m at the British Milers Club meet in Sheffield on Sunday, not far off his PB of 8:20 in a sharp 8:22. Andrew Penney ran a new indoor best of 8:18.
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